Marilyn Bell

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Transcript of Marilyn Bell

Marathon Swimmer About The Challenge The Swim Awards and Accomplishments At the start of Bell's Lake Ontario swim few people knew who she was but by the finish, there were thousands waiting just for her (Tivy, 2003). Her swim was controversial and many believed that it couldn't be completed by a human and certainly not by a woman (Daubs, 2012). By achieving to do this, she significantly changed how women were observed (Daubs, 2012). Many swimmers, especially young women, have been influenced to chase their dreams. Her swim was significant in the minds of Canadians and a park near the area where she finished her Lake Ontario swim is named Marilyn Bell Park in her honour. The CNE offered Florence Chadwick $10,000 to swim across Lake Ontario (Temertzoglou & Challen, 2003). Bell wanted to challenge Chadwick. Many people didn't believe that she could complete the swim because she was a 16 year-old who had only won a couple of races and Chadwick was a 34 year-old well known swimmer (Tivy, 2003). Gus Ryder agreed to help he but struggled to find someone to provide funding for Bell but eventually The Toronto Star agreed on the condition that they got exclusive story rights (Tivy, 2003). Bell started her swim shortly after Florence Chadwick in Youngstown, New York, around 11pm on September 8, 1954 (Temertzoglou & Challen, 2003). While Bell was struggling with fatigue, lamprey eels, and cold water, reporters were fighting to cover the event (Callwood, n.d.). She ate baby cereal and corn syrup that were passed out to her on a long pole during the swim (Daubs, 2012). By 6am on September 9, her competitors quit ("Marilyn Bell," 2010). She herself was able to complete the swim shortly after 8pm that night. This swim, almost 52km, took her nearly 21 hours (Callwood, n.d.). The evening after she completed the swim, the CNE rewarded her with $10,000 and was showered with gifts from Canadians. Prior to the Lake Ontario Swim, Bell had become the first woman to finish the Atlantic City marathon swim ("Marilyn Bell," n.d.). In 1995 she became the first and youngest person to swim across the English Channel and in the following year she was youngest person to swim the Straits of Juan de Fuca ("Marilyn Bell," n.d.).Over the years, Bell has received the Barker Bread Trophy, the Cliff Lumsdon Award, the Lou Marsh Trophy, been named to the Order of Ontario, as well as being inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame ("Marilyn Bell," n.d.). Societal Effects Marilyn Bell http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/swimming/swimming-general/bell-swims-lake-ontario.html When Marilyn Bell was nine years old, she already had a passion for swimming. She meet Gus Ryder when she switched pools to receive better training. Ryder gave her much more attention than her coach at the other pool and had her focus on what she was good at, long-distance swimming (Tivy, 2003). (Marsh, n.d.) ("Marilyn Bell," n.d.) (Callwood, n.d.)